Chapter 2: The Fruit of the Devil Sparks Heated Debate

Suppressing his nausea, Ao Xin forced himself to swallow the fruit pulp. Then, with another determined effort, he gulped down the rest of the flesh at once! The skin, the pit, the leaves, even the short purple stem—all of it, he swallowed without hesitation!

He let out a long breath. The seed of the miracle had now been planted; all that remained was to wait for the miracle itself.

Taking a sip of water and biting into a peach, he pulled out his phone and started browsing short videos and online forums.

“Our orchard suddenly grew a fruit that looks exactly like a Devil Fruit! Guys, this is unbelievable! Is this really a Devil Fruit?”

Sure enough, as soon as he opened the short video app, a sensational clip popped up. In the video, a young man stood in an orchard, filming a strange-looking grape hanging from the vine. The grape was a deep red, covered in bizarre white patterns, making it stand out sharply from the other normal grapes around it.

“Devil Fruit?”

Someone commented below, “Wishful thinking!”

“Haha! Clearly just a gimmick. The creator wants to cash in on the hype!”

“Just wait, soon he’ll be mass-producing these so-called Devil Fruits!”

“If you’re so sure, why don’t you eat one? See if you get superpowers like in One Piece!”

There were several similar videos. Some found the mysterious fruit at fruit stands, others spotted them on grassy fields. One even claimed that a regular fruit he left at home for two days had, upon checking, transformed into the shape of a Devil Fruit!

Of course, the skeptical viewers didn’t buy it, exclaiming that scammers were getting more and more creative these days. Some even egged the creators on to eat the fruit. Those who hesitated were immediately accused of being guilty or hiding something.

“Hmph! Clearly a prop! That’s why the host doesn’t dare eat it!”

“Who knows what kind of chemical dye was used for those patterns. Would they really dare eat this thing?”

Still, there were some who refused to be swayed. At that very moment, a famous female streamer was live. Not only was she beautiful with a captivating voice and a knack for comedy, she was also a die-hard One Piece fan. She was the one who claimed the fruit at her house had turned into a Devil Fruit!

Although netizens mocked and teased her, saying she was doing it for clicks, the young streamer herself knew better—she hadn’t manipulated anything. The fruit at home had simply mutated on its own.

“Could it really be a Devil Fruit?”

The thought circled in the streamer’s mind. Just then, as viewers in the chat started daring her to take a bite, she hesitated for a long while, then braced herself and accepted the challenge.

“Alright! Since everyone in the chat wants me to eat it, I’ll do it for you all!”

She decided to throw caution to the wind—if it was spoiled or mutated, the worst that could happen was a quick trip to the hospital.

With that in mind, she picked up the strange fruit with one hand, while her phone was ready in the other, just in case she needed to call emergency services.

Ao Xin was among the viewers in her stream. The moment he saw the shape of the fruit, his heart began to race. He knew this was a real Devil Fruit, not some cheap trick.

He quickly typed in the chat:

“Host, please don’t eat it yet! I’m willing to buy the fruit from you—name your price!”

But his account was low-level, without any special badges, so his comment was quickly buried in the flood of messages.

Unwilling to give up, he kept posting his offer. Perhaps because his repeated messages amused some viewers, others began to echo his request.

The streamer noticed the comments and, knowing they were probably just joking, smiled sweetly, dimples appearing on her cheeks.

“Don’t tease me, everyone. No one knows what’s up with this fruit yet, and I’m not selling it. I’ll eat it right here, live, and see if it’s a Devil Fruit!”

With that, she took a deep breath, parted her cherry lips, and placed the apple-sized fruit into her mouth. The camera even zoomed in for a close-up shot of her mouth!

It had to be said, her ability to attract millions of followers wasn’t just about her looks; she had mastered the art of charm at every moment. Even Ao Xin couldn’t help but swallow as he watched.

Juice burst forth, spilling everywhere.

A vile taste spread through the young woman’s mouth. Her delicate brows instantly furrowed, and her pretty face contorted with disgust as she fought the urge to spit the pulp out.

Observant viewers immediately caught on to the change in her expression.

“Whoa! Judging from her face, that fruit must taste awful! Could it really be a Devil Fruit? They’re supposed to be disgusting!”

Others, convinced they were being rational, countered, “Nonsense! It’s just spoiled fruit! Who knows how she made it look so weird, but it’s clearly not edible.”

“Yeah! Don’t eat it, host! Spit it out or you’ll make yourself sick!”

Many viewers urged the streamer to spit it out, though plenty others egged her on.

“Ha! You guys are so gullible—anyone can fake a grimace! If you’re brave, swallow it and see if you get superpowers!”

“That’s right! Do you think we’re all idiots? Is this just a stunt for views?”

The young streamer didn’t see these comments—her eyes were brimming with tears from the taste. Her vision blurred. She silently swore she had never tasted anything so revolting in her life!

Her instincts screamed at her to spit it out, but the die-hard One Piece fan in her refused to give up. The fruit had genuinely mutated—she knew she wasn’t faking anything.

With a resolute gulp, she forced the pulp down, quickly grabbing her milk tea to wash away the lingering foulness.

After all, a single bite was as good as eating the whole thing, right?

Then, she joined her audience in waiting expectantly for something to happen.

“If this really is a Devil Fruit, what kind of power will I get?”

As the viewers realized she had actually swallowed the pulp, gifts began to pour in at an unprecedented rate—she received more in that moment than she usually did in a whole week.

“Wow! She really ate it! Judging by her face, she wasn’t faking it—maybe it really is a Devil Fruit!”

“Exactly! Look at her, she’s crying. If this was an act, could she be so convincing? She’s not even an actress!”

The chat was abuzz; everyone’s eyes were glued to the streamer, watching for any sign of transformation.

But as the minutes ticked by, nothing changed.

“Host, why not stand up and move around a bit?”

“Try to sense any changes inside you—after all, not every power is obvious right away.”

“Pfft, you guys are so gullible. You actually believe this?”

“It’s so easy to scam money from shut-ins these days!”

Following her viewers’ suggestions, the streamer hopped around, even tried some yoga, hoping to draw out some mysterious power.

To the countless men watching, her lively movements were a feast for the eyes.

But no matter how hard she tried, her body remained unchanged.